Apparatus for treating oil



C. EKSTRAND, DECD.

M. EKSTRAHU. zxzcumx.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING OIL.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 21, 1917.

v Patented Aug. 23, 1921.

YSHEEYS SHEET lv INVENTOR By Allorneys,

C. EKSTRAND, DECD.

M. EKSTRAND, EXECUTRIX. APPARATUS FOR TREATING OIL.

APPLICATION man NOV-21. 1917.

INVENTOR By- Attorneys,

6mm, QQWIQ 9r M L 2 Hm 3 m 4 m m $3M m m N I M MQ NQ ,5 7

WITNESS C. EKSTRAND, DECD.

M. EKSTRAND. EXECUTRIX.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING 01L.

APPLICATION FILED N V. 2|, 1917.

' Patented A11 23, 1921.

7 SHEETSSHEET 3.

INVENTR'OR Zia,

WITNESS /M By Attorneys, m Junk k C. EKSTRAND, DECD.

M. EKSTRAND, EXECUTRIX.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING 01L.

APPLICATION FILED Nov.21.1917.

Patented Aug. 28, 1921.

YSHEETS-SHEET 4-.

' INVENTOR WITNESS fl W I I By Attorneys,

C. EKSTRAND, DECD.

M. EKSTRAND. EXECUTRIX.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING OIL.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 21. 1917.

1,388,415. Patented Aug. 23, 1921. 7 SHEETSSHEET 5. Igll.

a r j qji Y 51* c o e cq r w cq c' -s c o u g g-g g INVENTOR x-x-1U WITNESS .yc- CQKF @J C')T@T@TU A B Attorneys,

. amt/1, amt k M C. EKSTRAND, DECD.

M. EKSTRAND,EXECUTR1X. APPARATUS FOR TREATING OIL.

APPLICATION HLED NOV. 21, 1917. 1,388,415, Patented Aug; 23, 1921.

7 SHEETSSHEET 6 INVENTOR By A iiorneys,

@ v1 J n/ 6 WITNESS f GHAB'LZES EESTRANID,

PATENT OFFICE.

0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK; MABEL EKSTRAND EXEC'UTEIX OF SAID CHARLES EKSTRAND; DECEASED.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING- QEL.

Application filed November 21, 1917. Eerial Eta- 203,085.

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known that l, CHARLES Ens/ream),

a citizen of the United States of America,

residing in the borough of Brooklyn, city 01: New York, county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Apparatus for Treating Gil, of which the following is a specification. V

Thisinvention relates generally to the treatmentof oil and is particularly directed to carrying out the process known in the trade as cracking oil, although the apparatus illustrated was designed with a view of its adaptability to carrying on other processes,'as, for instance, use as a topping still, and for drying various oils and hydrocarbon substances,-as, for instance, the well-known and annoying substance (which can hardly be dignified with the appellation of an oil product), which consists of the viscous oil refuse so mixed with water that their separation with the apparatus ordinarily present in oil-treating plants is very tedious and expensive.

The invention can best be described by reference to the accompanying drawings, showing a practicable plant erected "for carrying out-the process claimed herein and which plant embodies also the apparatus made the subject of the claims directed to that portion of the invention, in which drawings- Figure. l is a vertical longitudinal section through the retorts and expansion chamber stack; i

Fig. 1 is the broken-oil top portion of the stackand illustrates the upper portion of the expansion chamber;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the lower portion of the expansion chamber taken at about right angles to the showing in Fig. 1 and somewhat enlarged for the purpose of more clearly illustrating certain of the details therein contained;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of the re torts and stack taken at about the plane of the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 and looking downwardly, the plane of section of Fig.v 1 being shown in Fig. 3 by theline 1-1, looking in the direction of the arrow;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section of the stack taken on a lane at about-the line 4-4 of Fig. 1, looking downwardly;-

Fig. 5 is an enlarged section oi"? the lower ends of the retort tubes;

Fig. 5 -shows a detail of the bends provided with flanged connections for record ing thermometers, pressure gages, eta;

Fig. 6 is a cross-section of the retorts taken on a plane at about the line 66 of Fig. '3 and looking toward the furnace end, as indicated by the arrows;

Fig. 7 illustrates the dephleginators, one

of these being shown partly in elevation and 6 the other in central vertical section;

Fig. 8 is a central vertical section of a scrubber; V

Fig. 9 is a horizontal section or the scrubber shown in Fig. 8 taken on a plane at '70 about the line 9-9 thereof;

Fig. 10 is a central vertical section of a separator; I Fig. 11 is a plan view of a condenser;

Fig. 12 is a vertical section thereot taken on a plane at about the line 12-42 of Fig. 11 and looking in the direction the arrows;

Fig. 18 is a cross-section taken about the plane of the line 13 13 of Fig. 12 and looking toward the left-hand side, as indicated by the arrows;

Fig. 1a illustrates a heat interchanger, the drawing showing a central section;

Fig. 15 is a view partly in end elevation and partlyin cross-section, of the heat interchanger illustrated iii Fig. 14, and

Fig-. 16 is a diagram showing a plan of I the entire plant and a convenient relative arrangement of the various elements enter- 0 ing into it.

The heat for the retort is furnished some suitable fire; this device being primarily intended for oil, oil is the'most logical fuelto employ, the brickwork of the retorts showing the portions of an oil-burning furnace having three furnace or fire chambers 20 (Fig. 1) opening into a coin- Inch-arched chamber 21 which communicates with the heat chamber 22 of the re the fire. The retort tubes 23 in the installiv tion depicted in the present illustration are, by way of example, four-inch cold-drawn steel tubing having welded flanges at the respective ends, the tubes shown being twelve feet from face to face of flangesybut any size ;or kind of tubes may be used. The portion of each tube which is located within the heat chamber is covered with cast-iron grooved rings 24. These rings serve to absorb the heat and communicate the same to the tubes' and the material passing through them. In the present illustration there are ninety-six such tubes arranged in series, the point of entrance for the oil under treatment being indicated at the arrow 25 and the point of exit at the arrow 26. It, of course,

is to be understood that the upper and lower ends of the tubes 23 are connected by suitable bends 27, 28, respectively (Fig. 6). These bends are preferably formed of cast steel and the bend 28 at the lower end. has a Y-formation (Fig. 5), the leg 29 of the Ybeingsubstantially in alinement with the tube 23 through which the material flows downwardly, thereby constituting a trap below each downward pipe for the accumulation or trapping of any free carbon which may develop during this period of the process, which, on account of its greater weight, will drop down into the leg of the Y and remain there, the. fluid turning-and flowing upwardly in the next tube. The flanges and bend of the tubes are protected at the top and ottom by heat-insulating walls 30, 31, respectively, and the upper bends are preferably covered by a plate 30' for preventing radiation;

The 'firing, as above stated, is done at three separate fire-chambers or furnaces which dischargethe heat and gases of com-' bustion into the common chamber 21, from which chamber the heat strikes the first two rows of tubes, that is, considering them in the order of'heat application; (but, if considered in the order of flowage of'the material, they should be called the last two rows of'tubes). The heat is then deflected by a center wall or baflle 32 (Fig. 3). Then it is caused to pass in two streams through theside passages 33 and engage the second two rows of tubes. The heat from the space surrounding this second set is caused by side walls or baflles 35, .36, to flow toward the center passage 34 between these side walls. This system of side and center passages produced by center .and side baflle walls is carried on to the stack'end of the heat chamber, the last two rows oftubes receiving the heat at the outer. ends, which heat passes toward the center and enters the stack at the opening 37 (Figs. 1 and ,4), from which the heat passes upwardly to the top 39'of the stack in the annular flue 38 between the stack lining and the fireproof lining of the expansion or mixing chamber represents, by way of example, a steel shell ber .40 preferably by suitablewrought-iron delivered by the retort is hereinafter called 40. The condition of .the fluid passing through the tube of the retort can be ascertained from time to time b means of suit able instruments connecte at various desired points, as, for instance, by means of the'fianges 104, illustrated in' Fig. 5

The expansion or mixing chamber 40 shown installed in the brickwork in Fig. 1

vapor. The retort tubes in the present in-' stallation being assumed to be fourinch tubes, the nozzle 42 is'proportioned to have a two and a half inch opening into the chamber 40 and the nozzle 43 to have a three-inch opening into such chamber. The vapor may also be led into this expansion or mixing chamber at a higher point by a nozzle-having a four-inch openlng at 44. The outlet for the vapor isshown in the form of a cast steel pipe 45 having atwelve-inch opening and located at the upper portion of the shell 41. A bafiie-plate 46 is shown located inwardly of the discharge ends of the nozzles 42 and43. A distance of ten inches from the nozzles gives good results. It should stand at right angles to the axes of the nozzles; In practice either one. or both of these nozzles may be employed for intro- 1 ducing the vapor into this chamber. The vapior enterin from the nozzles strikes the ba e-p'late an the'compression of the va or at the time of entering into this cham er is .controlled by shutting oif one'or the other of the nozzles as' occaslon demands, one of the objects of the process being to discharge lvapor' from the retort at 'a very high veocit. Tliia expansion or mixing chamber 40 is shown filled with a plurality of perforated cast-iron plates 47 which extend completely across the interior of the shell 41. The. vapor arising through this chamber is compelled to pass through the perforations in these plates and to frequently change its direction'of flow so that a most int1mate comminglingand mixing of the aseous element of each vapor is'efiected uring such passage. As the hot products of combustion 1n flue 38 surround this chamber in ing chamber through which can be drawn any liquid that may accumulate in this chamber, for instance, at the time of starting or after the operation has been stopped. When the apparatus is used as a topping or drying plant the liquid constantly collecting at the bottomof chamber is drawn off through outlet 48.

The vapor passes from the expansion chamber through the pipe 49 (Fig. 16) either directly to the condenser coils by means of pipe490 or to the dephlegmators 50, 51, presently to be described.

The dephlegmator illustrated at the righthand side in Fig. 7 is formed of a shell 52 which for example, may be-about ten feet high and about three and a half feet in diameter, although other sizes may be used, according to the capacity desired; The inlet is illustrated at 53, located near the bottom of the shell,'below which inlet there is a steam coil 5%. The upper portion of the shell contains a double cooling coil 55, such, 001i presenting a large amount of surface and being located within a shell 56 forming a gas pocket 5? communicating with the outlet 58, such vapor pocket being open at the top and closed the bottom, whereby the gas, afterpassing over the coil, turns downwardly and enters this pocket, then passes out through the outlet 58 and from there by pipe .68 to the next portion of the apparatus, which may in some instancesbe a similar dephlegrnator, 51.

The lower portion oi? the shell of the dephlegmator is provided with a plurality of deflectors, each of these comprising a peri o rated tray 59 extending to the edges of the shell 52 and having a central opening 60. The tray also has an upstanding flange 61 at its edge. A perforated tray 62 of larger area than the opening 60' is located above such opening. This tray also has an upstanding edge or flange 63 and is provided with feet or supports 64 holding the tray 62 elevated above the plane of the tray 59 and also substantially midway between the openv ing 60 in the tray upon which it rests and a similar opening in the tray above it.

Suitable outlets for accumulated liquid are provided, one at 65 near the bottom of the shell 52 and the-other 66 at the bottom thereof. A connection 67 is provided at the top of the shell for thermometers, pressure gages, etc. i

The operation of the dephlegmator is substantially as follows: The vapor enters at 53 and is intercepted by the deflectors or trays 59, 63, and in its passage through the perforations of these trays its elements are caused to thoroughly intermingle. It finally reaches the coil 55, whichcoil has passing through it water or some other cooling fluidwhich tends to somewhat chill the ascendmg vapor, causing the heavier portions of such vapor to condense and drop downwardly. The condensed portions in descending meet the ascending hot vapor.

.Any light molecules that accompany the liquid in its downward movement are heated by the ascending gases and rise and any heavy molecules conveyed by the vapor as it ascends are chilled by the descending liquid and accompany the same downwardly,

thereby effecting a separation of the heavier from the lighter molecules. The gases constituting the vapor thus intermingled and freed from the heavier portions ascend to the top of the dephlegmator and pass over the division-plate or shell 56 and out through temperature the liquid reaching the botamount of separation desired controls the number of dep'hleginators utilized at any particular time.

, After passing through the do, hlegmators, the vapor passes by means or pipe 69 (Fig. I6) to the scrubber 70 p-esently to be described. a

The scrubber illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9 comprises. a steel shell 71 having a vapor inlet 72 atthe bottom and a vapor outlet 73 at the top. Within the scrubber are located a plurality of trays 74 having perforated bottoms 7 5, into which trays may be placed some suitable material for having a scrubhing and also a catalytic efi'ect, as, for instance, fullers earth, bauxite, iron turnings, etc, the scrubbing effect separating the particles of carbon and the-catalytic eiiect aid ing the reconstruction of the hydrocarbon molecules and lessening the amount of free noncondensable gas which might occur.

A suitable connection is provided at 76 for pressure gages, thermometer, etc.

The vapor is led from the scrubber by means ofpipe 77 (Fig. 16) either to the condenser 81 to be condensed into liquid orto a compressor 78 which compresses the vapor to any desired pressure, and then into the condenser, so that the cooling may be done at any desired pressure. I Thecondenserillustrated comprises a box adapted to contain a cooling liquid, and in the box are located two series of coils 82, 83, one containing more piping and bends than the other, thelonger coil, 82, being designed for cooling the vapor under pressure and the shorter coil, 83, for cooling any condensed material collected from the system,

The vapor is led from the outlet 7 7 of the scrubber to the condensing coils 82 either through the compressor 78 or directly through the pipe 79, and after passing such coils enters the separator 84. Y

The separator illustrated in Fig. 10 comprises a cylindrical shell 85 about six feet high and about twelve inches in diameter. Somewhat above the bottom of this shell is the inlet 86 and slightly above the inlet is the liquid outlet 87, the top of the shell being provided with an outlet 88 having a connection for a safety valve, indicated diagrammatically at 89 in Fig. 16. The material under treatment enters the separator at the inlet 86 and forms a gas trap in the bottom of the shell 85 for the liquid outlet 87, the

tion shown in t non-condensable gases passing out through the outlet 88. The liquid flowing from the outlet 87 preferably passes through a suitable trap 90, illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 16. The safetyvaive 89 may be connected with-the discharge 91, which is an outlet through which the entire plant can be drained when required.

A heat interchanger 92 is illustrated in Figs. 14iand 15 and its gener P elative posihe plan m, Fig 16.. In the present lustration employ two of these'heat interehangers. se heat inter-- changers are somewhat in the nature of horizontal tubular boi ler co uction and have a shell 98 provided eads 9 1- and tube plates 95 which carry the tubes 96. a r

, The crude material which to be treated in the system is put in through an opening 97, preferably at the bottom of the sheli 98 between the header-plates 95,. and riils the chamber around the tubes and is passed out through the opening 98, preferably at the top. Hot material, such as the condensates from the dephlegmators and the scrubber, is passed in through the opening 99 through the tubes and out at the opening 100. This apparatus, therefore, acts as a cooler for the hot liquids and as a preheater for the material which goes to the retorts. The preheater illustrated may also be operated by passing the hot vapor through thetubes or around the tubes, and the liquid to be treated in the opposite direction. When using the apparatus as a topping or drying plant, all

the hot oils coming from the bottom of mixer 40 pass through the heat interchangers be-. fore goin to the cooling coils, thereby preheating t e crude material.

. In carrying out my improved process by aid of the apparatus herein illustrated, the material to be treated, which is supposed to be in the container 101 (Fig. 16), may be crude oil, fuel distillate, kerosene distillate, or anything of that sort, of any gravity,

- and is taken from the container 101 by means of a'pump 102 and passed through a meter 103 and the heat interchanger's 93, in

which the material is preliminarily heated, and is then-led by a pipe 92 to the inlet 25 of the retort 22.

In operating for cracking oil I have found that good results are accomplished by a temperature from 800 F. to 1200 F., depending,

pressure as in the retort; or it can be kept at atmospheric pressure, or at any point between this maximum and minimum, as is found to give the best result on the material handled. The temperature in this mixing chamber will be practically the same as the temperature of the material entering it, due to the manner in which the heat within the stack is applied to this mixing chamber.

The process is carried out in the presence of Live steam is preferably added to the oil vapors in the retort at high pressure and high super-heat, a connection for. the introduction of the steam being illustrated at 104;, 1, being a branch on a bend 27, as illustrated in Fig. 5 The steam is prei erably introduced about the middle of the retorts or a point where all the oil has 100 been gasified so as to obtain a thorough mixture between the steamy and the oil vapors. in some instances it is found desirable to add water to the oil previous to introduction into the apparatus, and by this means the steam is generated within the retorts.

The vapor comprising the gasified products of the oil under treatment, in passing into the mixing chamber at the high velocity, impinges against the battle-plate 46, which has a tendency to produce a thorough initial mixing of the gases of the various component elements of the material under treatment and the'steam, and also a thorough mixing of the dissociated hydrocarbon molecules-. This mixture then rises through the various perforated trays 47, where, owing to the large size of the chamber and the comparatively lon tinie required for the va-' por to pass throug it, and the intimate mixing roduced by passing through the various per orated trays, a rearrangement and recombination of the hydrocarbon molecules is effected, producing combinations of a lighter order than it possessed before passing into the retorts, being more volatile and having a lower flash point."

The material undertreatment passes from' densed at the bottom of the scrubber.

take out or condense all such gases as would not be volatile at a temperature of say 420 to 450 F. The dephlegmators can be adjusted to remove by condensation either more or less, the figures 420 to 450 F, being only given as illustrations, This leaves only the higher volatiles in a gaseous condition and obviates the necessity for redistillation after the cracking operation is finished and before the final treatment of the result ant product, which product may be gasolene or motor spirit, if the material treat-ed is fuel distillate. The peculiar operation of the dephlegmator is above described and it is believed that a repetition of the detailed description at this point is unnecessary. In such description mention is made of an outlet for liquid condensed at the bottom of the dephlegmator and liquid also to be con- Such liquids are used in the heat interchanger for preheating the incoming material for the retort and can then be either set asideand used for fuel oil or for lubricating purposes, if

I the oil is of that character, or it may be re- 1 turned to the crude oil tank or container 101 and again passed through the apparatus until it is entirely cracked up.

The vapors passing from the dephlegmators enter the bottom of the scrubber and pass through the cleansing and catalytic medium and from there go directly either to the condenser 80 to be condensed into liquid, or, if found preferable to condense at a higher pressure than that obtained, to pass through the compressor 78 for that purpose, which is capable of compression to that pressure found most desirable. Y

The apparatus, in addition to the process above described in detail, can operate in several different ways. For instance: a

I can, after cracking the oil, discharge the entire cracked material into the condensers, condensing it all, and then separating and treating it afterward, the same as can be done with crude oil.

The material may be passed through the dephlegmators and scrubber and'directly to the condenser where the material is condensed at whatever pressure is on the material after passing through the apparatus, or the vapor can be passed through the compressor and condenser under 'any pressure desired. Owing to the construction of this apparatus the temperature in and the pressure on the retorts themselves arenot related to each other, but can be varied within certain limits, as the first few rows of the retorts gasify the liquid, and the last rows superheat the gases, so that the resultant pressure depends a great deal on the speed at which the material is passed through.

The apparatus can be run' maintaining the same pressure throughout the entire apparatus, or it can be run with the required pressure in the retorts, with atmospheric pressure in the mixingchamber and the dephleg- .mators and the scrubber, andthen any required pressure on the condensers; or-it can be run with a pressure on the retorts, a pressure on the mixing chamber, and atmosa pheric pressure on the dephlegmators and scrubber, and any required pressure on the condensers, as there is a valve 4&5 on pipe 45 which can be adjusted so as to vary the pressure between the mixer and the dephlegmators. By this means, any variation can be produced, depending on the material which is handled and the results sought for.

I can also use this apparatus as a topping system without any cracking, by simply heating-the material passing through the retorts to whatever temperature is found necessary to take off a certain portion of the oil. For that purpose I would use the highest inlet into the mixing chamber, the inlet indicated at 4:4. The material thus entering the mixing chamber would be a mixture of distillates of oil, maintaining a temperature sufficiently high to evaporate all moisture, leaving a dry distillate of oil which may be drawn off from the bottom of the mixing chamber.

I In whatever manner this apparatus is employed it is capable of a continuous operation.

The following is the description of an operation according to the present invention, the material employed being crude distillate from Mexican crude oil, the distillate having a gravity of 28.4 and containing some diflicultly refinable portions and water, this distillate analyzing substantially as follows:

Initial boiling point 303 F.

Off at 356 F., 3%.

Off at 400 F-., 7%.

Off at 425 F.,14%.

. By employing the above described process and apparatus "and using-a temperature of' between 1150 and 1200 F., at the outlet of the last tube of the retort and an average pressure of about 80 pounds per square inch in the'retort, permitting the vapor to escape into the mixer and from the mixer through the dephlegmators and. the scrubber, maintaining a pressure of between 10 and 20 pounds per square inch-in these, and compressing the vapor which does not condense in the dephlegmators and the scrubber, discharging the compressed vapor into the condenser at a pressure of about 60 pounds per square inch and condensing the same in the condenser, I have produced from the mater1al above described a material having a gravity of 38.5 Baum, an initial boiling point of 93 F., and distilling oil as follows:

Off at 160 F., 7%.

on at 212 F., 15%. v Off at 302 F.,

Off at 338". F., 40%.

on at 356 F.,

Off at 400 F., 59%.

Off at 425 F., 71%. v

This 71 per cent. is 442.2 gravity Baum. In this particular example it is to be noted that I have taken the material having a gravity of 28.4 and brought it up to a gravity of 38.5, and that in the material which contained only leper cent. of evaporative material at 425 F. I have made a material of which 71 per cent. will evaporate at a temperature of 425 F. This although taken tracted nozzles of different sizes having valves for. admitting the vapors from the retort through either nozzle into said chars-e her, said nozzles arranged toproiect said vapors against said plate. 1

2. An apparatus for treating oil, comprising means for vaporizing the oil, an expansion chamber in communication with the heating means, a dephlegmator connected with the expansion chamber and adapted for causing the expanded vapor to move upwardly in a column, means at the upper portion of the dephlegmator for chilling the vapor, means at the lower portion of the dephlegmator for heating and regasifying the condensate from the chilling means, a scrubber in communication with the dephlegmator for removing carbon particles and un-'- gasified hydrocarbon elements, and a condenser in communication with the scrubber.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2, embodying means for compressing the scrubbed gas andpassingthesame to the condenser. J

4. An apparatus for'treating oil comprising a retort having a heat box provided with a passage for the heat, a furnace at one end of the heat box and a stack at the other end thereof, a chamber located in the stack, a pipe locatedin the heat box and having its inlet at the stack end and its outlet at the furnace end of the heat box, the.

iaid outlet being connected to the said cham- 5. An apparatus according to claim & wherein the inlet to the mixing chamber comprises two pipes of different diameter connected to the retort outlet and provide with valves.

6. apparatus according to claim 4; wherein the inlet to the mixing chamber comprises two pipes of difierent diameter, connected to the retort outlet and provided with "valves, and a baffle plate within the in s of the said pipes. I An apparatus for treating oil comprising a retort, a furnace at one end of such retort, and a stack at the other end thereof,

a chamber located in said stack, the outlet of the retort being at the furnace end and connected to the chamber,said chamber being provided with an outlet and an inlet,

the outlet being larger than the inlet, the

apparatus being so constructed that the temperature and pressure in the chamber is lower than the temperature and pressure at the outlet of the retort.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7 embodying means for admitting steam to the retort intermediate of its stack portion and furnace portion.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my. name.

CHARLES EKSTRAND.

mixing chamber located in front of the open- 

